Nottinghamshire 457 (Haynes 137*, Hameed 89, O'Neill 61, Harmer 5-165) beat Essex 184 (Westley 44, Patterson-White 6-43) and 221 (Allison 56, O'Neill 5-39, Patterson-White 3-66) by an innings and 52 runs

Liam Patterson-White claimed career-best match figures of 9 for 109 to spin Nottinghamshire to a crushing innings victory over Essex at a muggy Chelmsford.

The 27-year-old left-armer added three more wickets to his personal-best 6 for 43 in the first innings as he took full ownership of a dry, turning pitch. He sent down his overs on day three with such tight control that he conceded at a rate of around one-and-a-half runs an over. He eclipsed the five-wicket haul by the Australian Fergus O'Neill, who signed off his stint at the club with 26 wickets in five games.

The win, by an innings and 52 runs, was important for the morale of the reigning Rothesay County Championship champions who had suffered a humiliating 306-run defeat at the hands of Somerset just six days before. This game, however, had been put beyond Essex's reach from the moment Nottinghamshire gained a first-innings lead of 273 thanks to an unbeaten century from Jack Haynes and 89 from captain Haseem Hameed.

Only Dean Elgar, with 42, and Charlie Allison's 56 in a 65-run seventh-wicket stand with Luc Benkenstein - who posted a first-class high of 42 - showed the resilience required to delay Nottinghamshire's celebrations, which duly arrived at 4.59pm.

Essex started the day needing to hang around for six full sessions but were already in trouble after losing two wickets in the first six overs of their second innings the previous evening. They lost a third 17 balls into the morning when the second nightwatcher, Charlie Bennett, drove O'Neill loosely to backward point.

Elgar survived a torrid examination from Olly Stone, often forced on to the back foot and defending low over his bat. Consequently, the majority of the South African's eight fours in a 76-ball knock came against O'Neill or Patterson-White, driven purposefully through extra cover or midwicket.

Elgar had received the benefit of an appeal when it was felt he gloved O'Neill behind the night before and half-walked until realising the umpire's finger hadn't moved. Therefore, Stone's frustration and irritation were clearly evident throughout and particularly in the celebration when he tucked up Elgar again and received a positive lbw decision. Elgar departed reluctantly.

Patterson-White had been introduced into the attack after three-quarters of an hour, but it wasn't until his 12th over that he struck for the seventh time in the match. Tom Westley had dug in doggedly for 96 minutes before getting a thick edge to a turning ball that landed in slip's hands. Patterson-White equalled his best match haul of eight wickets when Matt Critchley nicked behind.

That united the former England Under-19 team-mates Allison and Benkenstein for a partnership that held up Nottinghamshire for 20 overs. They were generally watchful, but Allison twice launched occasional offspinner Freddie McCann for two huge sixes in reaching his third half-century of the season.

However, Patterson-White claimed his third wicket of the innings as Allison played down the wrong line and was lbw. When Michael Pepper was caught in the slips for nought soon after off Lyndon James, Essex were still 98 runs short of making Nottinghamshire bat again.

Benkenstein and Harmer ate into the deficit in a breezy 40-run stand but both became victims of O'Neill, who took his figures to 5 for 39.

Essex have two months to lick their wounds before their next red-ball fixture, against Somerset at Taunton. Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, will hope no momentum is lost before they head to The Oval.